Improvement in fountain hand-stamps



l. CUUTANT.

Fountain Hand-Stamps.

N0. 142,617. Patented Septemb'er9,l873.

UNITED STATES FRANCIS J. C OUTANT, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN FOUNTAIN HAND-STAMPS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 142,617, dated September 9, 1873 application filed July 5, 1873.

To all 'whom tt may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANCIS J. CoU'rANr, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Fountain Hand-Stamps, of which the following is a specification:

This invention relates to the construction of stamps for certifying checks and for similar purposes, having special reference to what is known as the ribbon-stamp#7 and consists in a fountain for the ink and in a movable pad, the construction and arrangement being as hereinafter described.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure lis a side view, showing the stamp-fountain in vertical section and the arrangement of the ribbon. Fig. 2 is a top view. Fig. 3 is a top view of the pad. Fig. 4 is a vertical section of Fig. 3, taken on theline x a'.

Similar letters of reference indicate correspending parts.

A is the shell which forms the fountain, made of cast-iron, brass, or other material, to the bottom of which is attached the slide B, which contains the type.` This type-plate is slipped into a dovetail groove, as seen in the drawing. C is the stem, which is attached to the shell A by the screw in the socket D. Gr represents the ribbon. His the fountain. I and J are two horizontal shafts, which run through the fountain, to which the ends of the ribbon are attached. These shafts are securely packed where they pass through the sides of the shell to prevent leakage, and they are turned by means of the nger-wheels K K. One endof the shafts passes through the screwplugs L L. These screws, when removed, form openings, through which the ends of the ribbon are drawn for attaching them to the shafts, the latter being then (with the ends of the ribbon) inserted and packed, as before stated.

The ribbonmay be of any desired length, and is rolled up on one of the shafts I J, and unrolled from the other or made to move in either direction, according as the shafts are turned. The shafts being immersed in ink, the ribbon is of course saturated with it. As the ribbon is drawn from the fountain it passes between two packingpicces, m m, the object of which is to strip o the surplus ink from the ribbon and to keep the fountain closed. These packing-pieces m m are usually made of rubber or other elastic material, which is compressed by means of the metallic plates N N and screws:

o o,- but any other suitable device may be employed for this purpose. After leaving the packing-pieces the ribbon is drawn over the rollers P and Q and beneath the type-plate B, and then upward and into the fountain, as represented.

As seen in the drawing, the left hand shaft I is being turned, as indicated by the arrow, and winding up the ribbon on that shaft, and unwinding it from the other shaft; but the ribbonmay be moved in either direction and back and forth until it is worn out. The ink is the only iiuid usually employed for stamping purposes, and is introduced through the hole R in the socket D.

By this invention the trouble and expense of frequently renewing or saturating the ribbons are avoided.

S represents the pad, which, by means of the lever T, is thrown upward against the ribbon and type, instead of operating the stamp, in the usual manner, by a blow on the stem at F. This pad is arranged in a socket, U, through which the lever T works. V is the fulcrum, which is attached to the base W. X represents one or more guide-pins in the stem Y of the pad, which Work in slots Z in the socket.

With a pad constructed in this manner the stamping may be done with the same hand that holds the paper, or with one hand, the pressure being applied on the leverT.

In Fig. 1 the stamp is constructed with the ordinary stem, and the stamping may be performed in the usual manner on my improved pad; but I prefer to make the stem G stationary and do the stamping by raising the pad.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patentl. A ribbon-stamp so constructed that the ribbon is passed through a fountain of ink, substantially as shown and described.

2. The ribbon-shafts I and J, on which the ribbon is Wound, arranged in the fountain H 5. The combination of the ink -rbbon G, so as to be immersed in the ink, as shown and ink-fountain H, typeplete B, and movable described. pad S, as and for the purposes described.

3. The peeking-pieces m m and oompressing- FRANCIS J. COUTANT. plates N N, in combination with the fountain H and ribbon G, as and for the purposes de- Witnesses:

scribed. GEO. A. KNAPP,

4. The rollers P P and Q Q, in oombinaton J. O. BLAIR, with Jche ribbon G and fountain H, es and for VH. B. PORTER.

the purposes described. 

